Foreign relations of the Republic of Navonia
This article offers an oversight of the foreign relations of the Navonian republic. A brief historic oversight is given, as well as a short description of the stance Navonia has towards neighboring countries. Oversight Legal basis Historic evolution The Republic of Navonia and its predecessors have always been mostly oriented inwards. Today, the republic has the policy to remain neutral in international conflicts unless they concern the people's interests. This 'rule of neutrality' has even been adopted in the Navonian constitution. Though in the first republican years the former isolationist policy was weakened, a return to self-reliance was made after the European interwar period. This because the financial crisis of the '30s and the beginning of World War II caused unrest in Navonia. Ever since the Navonian foreign policy extended no further than the Rodenian continent. The most important topic is at the moment the conflict between Noel and Viola. Especially the Reform and Liberty Party stresses the need for a clear and firm stance. It also seeks to open up the country's boundaries in order to get the Navonian economy geared into the free world trade. Also important is the growing influence of the Integrationist League, a political movement that seeks to unite the country with its neighbors Granida and Sudetia based on a European model. The Integrationist League is not prohibited, as the Navonian establishment originally sought to do, but is not allowed to take part in elections as an independent party. Therefor, it allied with the Democratic Union. The current High Representative Yuri Regalio has slightly opened up discussion but remains his policy focused on domestic issues. The incumbent government has already stated she wishes to enhance the relationship with neighboring countries. Foreign relations The Republic of Navonia has recognized "all nations on the Rodenian continent as being sovereign", as prescribed by the Constitution. This formulation is however very particular, because it does not necessarily imply the recognition of the country, state or government commonly associated with the nation in question. It also does not solve any conflicting claims political entities might have over a territory or a specific power. Any determination of that kind has to be issued by law. A short description of the recognized nations: * Granida: Complete political and territorial recognition, a little political and economical cooperation. * Sudetia: Complete political and territorial recognition, a little political and economical cooperation. * Indiana: Complete political and territorial recognition, an entirely neutral relationship. * New Yonkers & Philly: Complete political and territorial recognition, an entirely neutral relationship. * Noel: Political recognition and territorial recognition for regions currently (March 31, 2011) under control. * Vistania: Territorial recognition for regions currently (March 31, 2011) under control, no political recognition. * Viola: Territorial recognition for regions currently (March 31, 2011) under control, no political recognition. StabMin StabMin stands for 'stability mechanism index' and is a rudimentary system to estimate the overall political stability of a country. It is based on the score a country has on two scales: one for the internal situation and one for the relations with neighboring countries. StabMin was originally developed by amateur political activists of the Integrationist League to watch the evolving tendencies in the relations between Granida, Navonia and Sudetia. Soon however, it was picked up by the popular media. Nowadays, several newspapers and news bulletins refer to 'changes in the StabMin index' when covering foreign relations. The mechanism has been criticized by political scientists and high placed diplomats for its oversimplification. StabMin has little to no popularity outside the Rodenian continent. The most recent publication of the StabMin index deems Navonia's internal situation "stable", declaring that the "government is in control, but protest of unhappy opposition is on the rise". Navonia's international politics are also descried as stable: "little contact, no mutual interests, diplomatic incidents and economic strife." Government officials stated that nonetheless these rather poor results, Navonia is still fourth on the index list. Category:Politics of Navonia